1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a thermal cycler.
2. Related Art
In recent years, as a result of genetic application technology development, medical treatment utilizing genes such as genetic diagnosis or genetic therapy are drawing attention and, in addition, many methods utilizing genes in determining breed varieties or breed improvement have been developed in agricultural and livestock industries. Technologies such as the PCR (Polymerase Chain Reaction) method are in widespread use utilizing genes. Nowadays, the PCR method is an absolutely imperative technology in the breakthrough of information on biological materials.
The PCR method is a method of amplifying a target nucleic acid by applying a thermal cycle to a solution (reaction mixture) containing a nucleic acid which is a target of amplification (target nucleic acid) and a reagent. The thermal cycle is a process to periodically apply two or more stages of temperatures to the reaction mixture. In the PCR method, a method of applying two or three stages of thermal cycles is generally used.
In the PCR method, chambers designed for chemical reactions within the body which are referred to as tubes or biological sample reaction chips (biotips) are generally used. However, in the method of the related art, there are problems in that a large amount of reagent and a complicated apparatus are required to realize a thermal cycle required for reaction, or it takes a long time to react. Therefore, a biotip or a reaction apparatus for performing PCR in a short time with a high degree of accuracy by using a small amount of reagent or sample has been desired.
In order to solve such a problem, JP-A-2009-136250 discloses a biological sample reaction apparatus configured to apply a thermal cycle by rotating a biological sample reaction chip filled with reaction mixture and liquid which is immiscible with the reaction mixture and having a specific gravity smaller than that of the reaction mixture about an axis of rotation in the horizontal direction, thereby moving the reaction mixture.
The biological sample reaction apparatus disclosed in JP-A-2009-136250 is configured to mount the biological sample reaction chip on an apparatus having a temperature distribution that is symmetrical with respect to the axis of rotation and rotate the same, a radius of rotation of at least twice the length of the biometric sample reaction chip is required, and hence a reduction in the size of the apparatus is limited.